Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
You’ll love this easy 30-minute sweet potato corn chowder for a warm and comforting meal any night of the week.
About the Recipe
This soup makes a great choice year-round. It’s a delicious way to use fresh corn when it’s in season but also works well with frozen corn so can be made any time.
The rest of the ingredients are easy to find, you’ll need just a few veggies, spices and a broth of choice. Even better, you can whip this easy chowder up in under 30 minutes and it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family!
Highlights
- Vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free and oil-free.
- Low in fat with no added sugar.
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- Basic ingredients.
- Can be made in advance.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll to the end for the full written recipe with ingredient amounts and written instructions. The following sections cover notes on the ingredients and a visual overview of how to make the soup.
- Onion: White onion is recommended but yellow onion also works.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is recommended but you can substitute 1 tsp garlic powder.
- Celery: Use fresh celery or you can substitute carrot (or use half and half).
- Sweet Potato: You’ll need 1 medium sweet potato or about 2 cups chopped. Regular potato also works in this recipe.
- Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper is best here.
- Corn: You can use fresh, canned or frozen corn. Frozen fire-roasted corn or grilled or roasted corn would be even better!
- Broth: Any vegetable broth or stock you enjoy works (homemade or store-bought).
- Chili Powder: Use a mild or medium chili powder.
- Paprika: You can use regular paprika or smoked paprika for some smokiness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 2: Cook the Veggies
Chop up the onion, garlic and celery and add them to a large soup or Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of water or vegetable broth.
Cook them over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Step 2: Add Sweet Potato & Liquid
Add the chopped sweet potato and vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a light simmer. Cook it for another 6-7 minutes, uncovered.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer lightly until the sweet potato is easily pierced with a fork. This should take about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Blend Soup
Carefully scoop about 1/2-3/4 of the soup into a blender and puree until it’s smooth and creamy. Be sure to allow the steam to escape while blending!
You can also use an immersion blender right in the pot, blending to your desired consistency.
Pour the blended soup back into the pot with the unblended portion.
Stir to mix everything together then taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Serving
- Serve with lime wedges.
- Sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions or chives.
- Add a dollop of vegan sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a bit of cheesiness.
- Serve with crispy roasted chickpeas.
- Serve with crumbled tempeh bacon or coconut bacon.
- Pairs well with sandwiches, wraps and salads (try this broccoli salad, Tuscan kale salad or southwest pasta salad.
Variations & Additions
- You can use peeled Yukon gold or red potatoes in place of sweet potatoes.
- Cumin and oregano work well for additional herbs and spices. Add up to 1 tsp of oregano and/or 1/2 tsp cumin.
- You can add 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers with the veggies at the beginning to add heat to the soup. Alternatively, add up to 1/2 tsp chili flakes or cayenne pepper when you add the paprika.
- Mix in a 4.5 oz can of green chilies with the rest of the ingredients for a Southwest flavour.
- You can stir in a bit of heavy cream, coconut cream or cashew cream at the end for a creamy finish.
Slow Cooker Method
To make this soup in a crockpot, you can either saute the veggies on the stovetop for 5 minutes then add everything to your slow cooker (for more flavour), or just add everything to the slow cooker all at once and cook for 3-4 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
Blend 1/2-3/4 of the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender in the crockpot. Combine, season and enjoy!
Storing
- Fridge: Let cool completely then store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Let cool completely then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Can be stored in one batch or in smaller portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to enjoy.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated to your preference.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy vegan sweet potato corn chowder can be on the table in about 30 minutes for a delicious dish the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 white onion, diced (3 cups, 350 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ribs celery, chopped (2 cups, 200 g)
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 heaping cups, 250 g)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cups frozen corn (680 g)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Vegetables: Add the onion, garlic and celery to a soup pot with a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add Sweet Potato & Broth: Add the sweet potato and broth, bring to a light simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer lightly for another 5-10 minutes until the sweet potato is easily pierced with a fork.
- Blend: Carefully scoop about 2/3 of the soup into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Make sure you allow the steam to escape while blending. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot and blend until you reach your desired consistency.
- Combine: Pour the blended portion back into the pot with the unblended soup and stir to combine.
- Season: Taste and season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Notes
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, cool and freeze in heavy-duty freezer bags or a sealed container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop, stirring until simmering, or individual servings in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals, stirring between intervals until heated through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 186
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 6 g
Originally published on September 3, 2014.
Delicious! Only thing I changed was green pepper instead of celery, and used an immersion blender to thicken it. Will definitely be making this often.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe rocks. It came out great. I used many potatoes instead of larger sweet potato and it worked out perfectly. I love the layers of flavors and textures. Thanks so much!
I meant to say “many little potatoes”…a mix of red of white. They are less than an inch long each. Adorable and delicious.
Nice! Sounds delicious with baby potatoes! Glad you enjoyed it.
I can’t decide if the 1 red pepper is a bell pepper or hot pepper? If it is supposed to be a hot pepper, can a jalapeno substitute? so it isn’t super spicy?
Hi there, it’s a bell pepper, not a spicy pepper. Although, you can add jalapeno if you want a bit of spice!
Eating this as I type! Fantastic! Easy to make and hard to stop eating! Really delicious recipe with a fresh twist to sweet potato soups! I will do this again and again! YUM! Thank You!
yay! So glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for the comment.
Great receipe! Vegan and non-vegan alike loved it!
Awesome, Mary! So happy to hear it!
This my second time making it because the first time I messsed it up by using smoked paprika since it was all I had in the house. Then I used an emulsifier to blend it but didn’t reserve a third like I was suppose to but decided not to emulsify too much so I’d have substance. I ended up with a smoky, gritty soup that tasted amazing minus the smoke flavor and texture.
This time I’m making it exactly as instructed because it was delicious all screwed up so can’t wait to try it the right way!
Thank you so much for posting this!
haha…I’m glad it was still good even with the changes! I don’t think smoked paprika would be so bad in it!? I haven’t tried it though. I would use a blender if you have one for a creamier soup, unless you’ve got a really good emulsifier! Anyways….it will still be good either way, like you said! Thanks for the comment!
This is just gorgeous and crazy filling! I loved this recipe, thanks for posting 🙂
I added one can of light coconut milk and it was perfect!! Thanks
Sooo tasty! Only thing I struggled with is it thickening up…idk if it’s the blender I used or what, but other than that, loved the taste!
It was too thin? I suppose it could be the blender?? Mine always comes out very thick so unless you adjusted the recipe I’m not sure why it wouldn’t! Glad you enjoyed the taste thought. Thanks!
Made this today!! Got all the veg from my local farm stand.
This was sooo delicious. Fresh, simple to make but full of flavor! I used a vegan coconut milk broth base instead of veggie stock. But otherwise I made as is!
Aaaammmmaaazing!